


For Him

by lemonade_zest



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: How Do I Tag, No Beta, Oneshot, Other, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28914477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonade_zest/pseuds/lemonade_zest
Summary: AU where May wasn't dusted and Tony survived the snap
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	For Him

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in July and it is not good, but here ya go.

Tony distinctly remembered the day May had found out Peter was Spiderman. Tony had invited Peter to the tower, because although the kid denied the Iron Spider, he was at least going to give his suit some upgrades (and remove the training wheels protocol for good). Peter looked very out-of-place in the large lab. He was fascinated, for sure, but he also awkwardly rubbed his arm, his foot tapping on the tile floor as he waited.

“You can sit down, y’know,” Tony said, taking the suit to his table. It pained him to see the teen so anxious. He tried to make small talk. “How’ve things been since… er, the Vulture?” Peter looked up from his twiddling thumbs.

“Yeah… about that,” Peter started. He caught Tony’s concerned glance. “I mean, things have been fine! Really, for the most part, Mr. Stark. It’s just that May kinda sorta saw me in the suit. So she knows now.”

“Oh,” Tony released his clenched jaw, he didn’t need the kid to go through any more shit than he had already endured. A family member finding out about his vigilante activities was better than all the worst case scenarios whizzing through his brain. “Is that all? I mean, it’s probably for the better, right?”

“Yeah, I guess…. I just- she asked for your phone number, so I gave it to her. So be on the lookout for a call. Like, I wouldn’t just let it go to Happy. I don’t think she’s mad, I-I mean she’s a little mad at me for lying but supports  _ why _ I do what I do, I think she just wants to talk to you about keeping me safe or whatever. She’s a bit overprotective.”

“That’s not the worst thing,” Tony responded, not looking away from the hologram in front of him, tapping away at thin air. 

May did call, later that evening, long after Peter left. Tony almost ignored the unknown number (who knows who got a hold of his number), but remembered Peter’s warning from earlier and picked it up.

“Y’ello?”

“Is this Tony Stark?”

“Yeah, the one and only.”

“I’m Peter Parker’s aunt. May Parker,” the woman’s voice was firm.

“Figured as much. The kid said you might call.”

“Yes. Well, it has recently come to my attention that you aided my teenage son in becoming a secret vigilante by equipping him with a Stark Tech suit?”

“Yes,” Tony replied. She couldn’t hear it in his voice, but her tone made him just a little bit nervous. 

“First off, that was incredibly irresponsible yet responsible at the same time. He could’ve gotten killed… but you also made sure that he wasn’t killed. Well, most of the time. I don’t think it helped to take the suit away.” Tony physically cringed at that. He knew she was right, but, in his defense, he didn’t know how to mentor this teen who had purposefully gone behind his back. Kids were never his thing. He didn’t pull any excuses, though. He remained silent. “Still… you have been an amazing resource for Peter. He… the Spiderman thing makes him happy. He has such a big heart,” May continued, her voice growing more quiet. “So, thank you, I suppose, for letting him be Spiderman safely. It means a lot to him… and, well, it means a lot to me, too.”

“I apologize for lying to you, especially when I brought the kid to Germany. He begged me not to tell you, that you’d freak out.”

“Oh, I did.”

“As any guardian would.” He remembered when he first dug into who Spiderman was. He was shocked to learn he was a high schooler. Maybe he didn’t quite “freak out,” but it definitely threw him for a loop. “Regardless, we’re where we are now and I can’t change that. Trust me, I’m doing the best I can to keep Peter safe.”

“Thank you. Just… one last thing.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“If my kid does die on your watch, that’s on  _ you. _ ” She hung up.

“I know,” he said to the dead line. 

And now, look at where he was. All that was left of Peter was dust on his hands. Tears threatened to spill from his eyes, but he wouldn’t let them. He didn’t even know the kid that well. Peter wouldn’t want him to cry, right?

When he returned to Earth, finally, he found that his phone had blown up with a barrage of texts from May Parker.

_ Shit. _

He wanted so badly to ignore them.

_ Where is Peter?  _

_ Was he with you? _

_ What is all this people disappearing about? _

_ Does this have to do with you? _

_ I can’t find Peter, he was supposed to be on a school trip. _

_ His friend Ned is gone, I can’t contact him. _

_ Where is Peter? Do you know? _

_ Is he gone? _

Tony replied.

_ Yes. I’m sorry. _

He knew he should’ve called. The texts were from the day Thanos snapped, and it had taken a while for him to return from Titan, so she had been waiting for an answer for too long. He got an immediate reply.

_ This is your fault. _

Yeah. He knew that. That’s how he felt, at least. But, he shoved his feelings down, tried to ignore the pit in his stomach, the sound of the teen’s panic, the dust that never left his hands, no matter how many times he washed them. Years passed and he tried to forget Peter. He tried to forget his distraught aunt. Peter never mentioned it, but Tony knew Peter’s parents were dead. He knew his uncle, May’s husband, was dead. He did his research in seeking out Spiderman. He knew this was one amongst many losses May had suffered over the past few years. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to explain anything to her. He couldn’t tell her the kid’s last words, “I’m sorry,” because he knew it would break her heart even more.

But when the remaining Avengers showed up to request his help, and he saw that picture of him and Peter tucked away on a shelf, he knew he had to try. If not for his own wholly selfish reasons. He wanted that kid back. Even if it meant losing the life he had with his wife and actual kid. They had enough time with him, they had each other. 

So he snapped to get rid of Thanos, thinking of the safe world he was making for Peter, and for Morgan and Pepper. He didn’t regret it.

And he certainly didn’t expect to wake up afterwards. 

-

Peter remembered the pain like no one else did, apparently. His stupid heightened senses made it so his body fought back against turning to dust. He remembered being held by Mr. Stark, whose expression told him there was no way to fix this. 

And then a few moments, he found himself lying on the ground again, no Iron Man in sight. Doctor Strange (apparently that  _ wasn’t  _ a made up name) helped him up and explained the circumstances. He nodded along, numbly, still partially trying to process the fact that he had just been dead for five years. He wondered who else had been dusted. May? Ned? MJ? He knew Mr. Stark wasn’t. Had he thought of him?

When he hugged Mr. Stark, he didn’t want to let go. And when he saw him snap his fingers, he nearly screamed for him not to. When he got pulled away from his barely breathing body, he didn’t want to let go. 

He waited for months. No one was allowed to see him, except Pepper. He spent time with May, who constantly stared at him with fondness and appreciation. He spent time with Happy (who also spent time with May… weirdly), who didn’t even pretend like Peter was a nuisance anymore. He spent time with Morgan, which was awkward. Tony had a child while he was dead. He felt like he missed so much. 

“Daddy talked about Peter,” the young Morgan blurted one afternoon, as they sat in the grass. Peter was slightly taken aback.

“Yeah? What’d he say?” He pushed.

“Peter was a superhero! Peter was very smart. Peter… Peter is my older brother.” Peter started sobbing. He didn’t want to cry in front of Morgan, who was only five, but he couldn’t help it. 

“Why are you crying?” Morgan asked, climbing into Peter’s lap to try and wipe away the tears.

“I… I just miss Mr. Stark,” he half-lied. Morgan didn’t need to know his father and uncle died and that he had subconsciously made Tony a father figure in his head. 

Tony had been in a coma for four months. His right arm had to be amputated, and he had seemingly gone blind in his right eye. Peter hadn’t seen him, he wasn’t allowed. He wasn’t family. Morgan told him differently, though. 

Finally, after half a year, Tony woke up. Only for a couple of minutes, but he was awake. Peter still wasn’t allowed to see him. It would be another month before Tony would be awake for long enough to have visitors other than his wife and child, and another two weeks until they finally allowed Peter in. 

Peter had to hold back an audible gasp when he saw Tony in his hospital bed. Tubes were everywhere, nearly half his face looked charred. Peter wasn’t used to the missing arm. Yet, Tony lit up when he saw the teen. He actually started crying. So did Peter. He moved to sit down beside the bed, and Tony attempted to pull him into a one-armed hug. 

“No, no, please don’t. You… you shouldn’t sit up.” He thought Tony would break if he moved a muscle. “Plus,” he added, “I thought we weren’t there yet?” Tony’s face scrunched up.

“I hugged ya on the battlefield,” he argued. “We were  _ there _ then.”

“I know… I was just trying to make a joke,” Peter shrugged. Tony’s face relaxed. “I’m just glad you… you didn’t… die.”

“Me too,” Tony chuckled. “But I would’ve, for you.”

“Me?”

“Yes,  _ you _ , Pete. I told ya, if you died… it’d be on my conscience. And it was. Nearly every day.”

“I…” he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know Tony cared so much. “Mr. Stark…”

“Please just call me by my first name, kid. You can call me Tony. Mr. Stark feels too formal,” Tony groaned. Peter nodded wordlessly.

-

One day Peter came with May. Tony had a lump in his throat. He tried not to show his nervousness (which was not super hard since half his face was scarred stiff) as Peter left the room with a tight smile and May sat at his bedside.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked. His voice was still hoarse from not being used for six months.

“Peter told me… you did it for him?” Tony squeezed his eyes shut. He was tired, and facing May was the last thing he felt like doing.

“Yes,” he responded.

“Thank you, Tony. He… I don’t know where I’d be without him,” she said quietly. “And I’m sorry for blaming you. I know it’s… the Thanos thing was not entirely your fault. I just directed my anger towards you in the moment.”

“No, I still failed. And I failed the kid…. What he said was entirely true. They came to me and asked me to help discover time travel, and I said no. But… if it meant getting Peter back… well I knew I had to try.”

“You invented time travel for Peter.”

“I suppose I did. And I snapped for him. My family, too, but I guess he’s kinda included in that.”

“Thank you.”

Tony smiled.


End file.
